Nevada, Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is in the Black Canyon of Colorado River where the border between Nevada and Arizona lies. It can be found 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Behind the dam is the Lake Mead Reservoir. It was named after Elwood Mead, the man who oversaw Hoover Dam’s construction.

The concrete arch-gravity structure was completed in 1936. Back then, it was considered the world’s most massive electric generating station and the largest concrete structure. However, in 1945, it lost

both titles to the Grand Coulee Dam. At present, the Hoover Dam is the 35th largest hydroelectric generating station in the world.

The dam was named in honor of Herbert Hoover who played a significant role in the structure’s construction which began in 1931 and ended in 1936. The construction project was completed over

two years ahead of schedule.

Herbert Hoover was formerly the Secretary of Commerce and, later, the President of the country.

The Bureau of Reclamation of the United Stated Department of Interior operates both the dam and the power plant. In 1981, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Four years later, in 1965, the dam was designated a National Historic Landmark. Today, it attracts tourists from all over the globe.